DIGITAL AND ANALOGUE TACHOGRAPHS MADE EASY BY MICROLISE

The release by Microlise of the Drivers Hours Management (DHM) System, a modular element of the Microlise Fleet & Distribution portfolio of solutions, will make it easy for companies to automate the storage and analysis of both digital and analogue tachograph data to ensure their compliance with drivers hours and working time directives.

The solution, which is available as both a stand alone system or as a Microlise hosted service, is applicable for all vehicle fleet sizes and will greatly simplify the complex requirements of meeting these directives without the need for costly bureau services.

With the advent of Digital Tachographs in May of this year, the complexity and amount of effort required to manage both driver's smart cards and paper tachographs will be significantly increased. Unless the entire fleet is fitted with Digital Tachographs, drivers will need to carry both the digital smart card and paper charts. The overhead of ensuring that conformance is achieved will rely heavily on a solution that offers and combines both digital and analogue tachograph analysis.

Through the Microlise Drivers Hours Management (DHM) System, a stand-alone modular part of the Microlise Transport Management Centre (TMC), the time employess spend to capture, store, review and report on compliance can be significantly reduced. Alternatively it will alleviate the need to use costly external bureau services.

Analogue and digital cards can be read and translated into the DHM software via a number of reader options including Fixed office based combined analogue & digital-tacho readers, Office based Budget Smartcard readers connected to PC / existing networks and Budget Wireless Analogue & Smartcard readers allowing customers with no or little IT infrastructure to send the tacho data into the Microlise Drivers Hours Management software service via GPRS.

By integrating Digital and Analogue Tachograph readers with the Driver Hours Management software, large and small operators alike, can automatically capture compliance hour's information from driver's smart cards and analogue charts. The DHM Software processes the uploaded information, storing all data for compliance analysis and reporting, along with any violations or infringements that have taken place. The Microlise DHM System also updates the drivers WTD & Driving Hours records in order to provide fast and accurate compliance and availability information.

This information stored is available via a Website, Email and paper-based reports which can be automatically mailed or faxed as required.

Through the optional integration of the Digital Tachograph with the in-vehicle Microlise tracking device normally installed as part of the Microlise Fleet & Distribution solution, configurable real-time alerts and events can be transmitted to the Transport Management Centre to inform back office users of -

* Smart card entry and removal
* Tachograph mode changes for breaks / rest, driving, availability and work
* Any other events of real-time importance including power supply interruption, motion data error and attempts to breach security

The direct integration of digital tachographs within Microlise Fleet & Distribution will further automate the collection of tachograph data, improve security and allow this data to be augmented with other normal telematics activity. 

Stephen Watson, Product Manager for Microlise commented, "For many companies the introduction of digital tachographs will bring increased complexity and costs in meeting their compliance requirements. I am confident that the Microlise DHM can reduce their costs by simplifying the whole process. Whether they are using external bureau services or employing their own staff to analyse data, there will be the opportunity to make large cost and efficiency savings."